Stark Composition
by Leech24
Summary: After the fight in the elevator, Captain America reflects back on the implications of it while sitting at home, until a mysterious device is slipped under his front door. Things only get weirder when a woman who looks a little too familiar, confronts him with every secret under the sun. I'm bad at summaries y'all, I promise the concept is interesting.
1. Is Someone Here?

So this story has been in a my head for less than a day but I NEED to write it. First off, Winter Soldier is my fave CA movie. Secondly, I need to give my boy Rogers an interesting story arc for once. He deserves some character redemption, which is why I've opted to regress back to the Winter Soldier days after watching Endgame. LOL

This story is gonna be a cross-over of sorts (in that I mean certain elements of other shows or video games will exist in this universe). I won't name the video game yet cause I don't want to give away the device for this chapter.

Happy reading!

* * *

**_"Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?"_**

In retrospect, Steve figured it was risky to call that out. Can't blame a guy for style though.

He tried to recall the fight in full clarity but it was hard to move past the flurry of limbs (_and pain) _that followed the brief silence of his enemies. Not to mention the overwhelming shock of betrayal from those who were supposed to be his allies. All in all, the more he thought back on the fight, the more often Steve came to the same conclusion. It sucked.

And that he's never getting into an elevator again. At least, not if there's people in it.

Settling down in his apartment, Steve can't help but wonder why he gets tangled in every weird, twisted, _"out-of-left-field"_ conspiracy type showdown. Can't a guy get a day off?

Running a hand through his hair, Steve resolves that the conspiracy theories can wait till morning, for now he's exhausted and enhanced healing or not, the soreness isn't going away anytime soon. But the captain's classic form of luck has only begun, for just as Steve moves towards his bedroom, something clatters on the floor. He stills in the quiet of his apartment, turning his head slightly towards the sound of the object.

_Is it a bomb? It's not beeping. Is someone here? _

After a few seconds of silence, Steve turns towards the front door and spots a metallic...puck? It's small, about the size and shape of a guitar pick, but made of metal instead. There's a small LED strip running through the middle, but there's no light. Steve stares for a while, unsure of whether he should pick it up. He shuffles towards the door, aligning his body sideways and against it, in case there are intruders on the other side but his enhanced hearing only picks up on silence. No heartbeats. No breathing. No whispered voices. No one.

He stays that way for a while (_call it paranoia but can you blame him?_) before reaching down to grasp the metal object. It fits comfortably between his fingers and feels as though it weighs nothing. There are no buttons on it, so Steve is unsure as to whether or not it turns on (_he's generally still unfamiliar with technology these days, let alone any piece of potential alien technology shoved under the door_). He twirls it between his fingers, hoping for any sign of...anything. But it remains silent.

Steve figures he's got a bigger problem though.

"Who left this here?"

"I mean I didn't leave it so much as deliberately throw it at you".

Steve wasn't really expecting an answer, considering he lives alone, and nearly jumped out his skin when the mysterious voice rang out. He grabbed the closest object (a coat rack) and spun around defensively to engage in battle, _again,_ when he was met with the sight of a tall, slender woman, dressed in black, lounging on **his** couch.

* * *

ok ok okkkk!

I wonder if anyone recognized the device I described. Hint: if you play video games, you might have seen this in one.

Also, any guesses as to who this person is?! I'll spoil it, she's an OC so you obviously can't guess accurately but throw out your wild conspiracies and see how close you get.


	2. Do I Know You?

_"I mean I didn't leave it so much as deliberately throw it at you"_.

The captain wasn't really expecting an answer considering he lives alone, and nearly jumped out of his skin when the mysterious voice rang out. He grabbed the closest object (a coat rack, obviously) and spun around defensively to engage in battle, again, when he was met with the sight of a tall, slender woman dressed in black, lounging on his couch.

"Who are you and how'd you get in?"

Short. Simple. To the point. So he's not in the mood to banter with someone who appeared out of thin air. Sue him.

"All very good questions Captain but if I'm being honest, I'm not a fan of coat racks when they're held like that."

"Yeah? And I'm not particularly a fan of strangers in my house."

Steve shifts his position slightly, angling the rack forward threateningly. He takes a few seconds to tame the fear lodged in his throat because he truly had _noideawherethiswomancamefrom_, and schools his expression into something kind of fear-inducing, he hopes.

"I'm not going to ask you again, who are you?"

Steve isn't sure what to expect of that question when he's simply only interested in making sense of whatever the hell is going on, but it still catches him off guard when, instead of the snark from earlier, something dark falls over the room. She doesn't answer, seemingly lost in a world of her own. The moment is fleeting however, because now she's staring directly at him and her expression is flat.

"My name is not important. All you need to know is that I'm not here as an enemy", she says.

Her voice is carefully neutral and any undercurrent of playfulness from earlier has completely vanished. She's still staring at Steve but he doesn't miss her glance at the coat rack. Figuring that this mysterious, nameless, soundless woman isn't an immediate threat, he lowers the rack and positions it in its place again. Swallowing the quick sliver of doubt, Steve slowly advances further into the room and places himself a safe, but close enough distance from the woman. Her eyes have not left his but her expression has shifted and is no longer flat.

The two of them remain silent, opting to assess each other from across the coffee table. The silence is broken when the woman sighs.

"I know it's no consolation, but I'm not here as an enemy. In fact, right now I'm not looking to make any new ones, I've got plenty of my own. Which is kind of why I'm here, Captain."

Steve is confused on so many levels but chooses to field his burning questions.

"What kind of enemies?" he asks.

"The kind that you work for. Or, used to anyway, I'm not sure how much of S.H.I.E.L.D's alliances have survived your trust after that shit show", she says.

It seems that some of that previous snark is back. Something familiar aches in his chest but Steve ignores it.

"How do you know about that? You work for HYDRA?", says Steve.

He's beginning to give in to that little speck of doubt that's been lingering around and is internally kicking himself for not incapacitating her when her guards were down. His hands twitch for his shield.

He must not have looked half as intimidating since the woman's face becomes amused, smiling something carefree and says, "Oh hell no. I wouldn't let myself be a part of HYDRA, I'd much rather shoot myself in the foot, you know?" She waves a casual hand towards Steve and says, "or you know, do time as a capsicle or whatever."

Her voice carried on but Steve paid it no mind over the sudden memory of two years ago flashing by.

_Standing with Tony in the quinjet. Tony making jokes about Pilates and his age. Tony poorly masking his insecurities with untimely humor._

_"You might have missed a couple things, ya know, doing time as a capsicle."_

The words are ringing in his ears, barely masking the sound of the woman's voice over the sound of Tony's voice. He can't make sense of it. It could be a coincidence. 'Capsicle' isn't exactly the smartest iteration of his title but for some reason the manner with which she spoke them resonated so much of Tony that Steve is almost unwilling to accept it as a coincidence.

He's suddenly brought back into the present when he realizes that the woman has stopped talking, her hands paused mid air, staring at him with a curious look in her eye. She seems genuinely concerned for a moment, appraising him with a raised brow. Steve stares back (it seems like they've done a lot of that in the past half hour than talking) with wide eyes and a bit of awe.

"Who've you been talking to?"

His voice, though a whisper, sounds sharp in the silence of the room. For his sake (or maybe her own), the woman doesn't pretend to misunderstand.

"Honestly? You. You're the first person I've spoken to in weeks. Months even."

"You're lying. Drop the attitude and tell me who you are."

His voice has taken on a hard edge, unwilling to play any more of this woman's game. Something about the memory of Tony and the familiarity exuded by this stranger who he's never met, has Steve feeling uncomfortable. The ache in his chest is back and the Captain can't help but connect this woman to Tony. It all feels so wrong but not quite.

Not to mention that he's still largely in the dark and has no information about this girl, all while sitting in his own home, and he's beginning to tire of the non-answers he's getting.

"You say you're not HYDRA and I'm not sure what to think of that yet. I'll take your word for it now but I'm not letting you sugar coat your motives any more. You either answer my questions or answer my shield. Your pick."

The woman drops all pretenses of friendliness and gives him a sharp look. Her lips move silently as if to accept the challenge but reconsiders and sighs instead. She moves to sit up properly and leans forward with her arms resting on her knees. Steve is standing and clearly at an advantage but given that he knows next to nothing of the woman who soundlessly entered his house, he's not stupid enough to test her strength yet. He considers the woman before him and takes her in properly this time. She's dressed in all black, likely for stealth, with various pouches secured at her waist and right thigh. Steve assumes those to be weapons, probably knives. He can spot a black hilt over her shoulder and guesses that she carries a sword but he can't be sure since the rest of it is obstructed behind her. The captain also spots a quiver of arrows but no bow, and wonders whether she's a skilled fighter or just a weapons hoarder. Steve reckons the first.

"You know why I gave you that?"

She suddenly points to the metal device still in his hand (which how did he forget it was there?) with one hand while the other reaches up to her ear. Steve's hold on the device tightens, ready to throw it in case it turns out to be explosive but doesn't need to when she presents him with an identical device in her hand.

"It's called a Focus. Without going into too much detail, it's kind of like a third eye. Place it above your ear and it helps you to, ah, focus. See pieces of the world that others can't. I could explain it in technical terms but I swear it's easier to see for yourself."

She places the dev-, the Focus, back just above her right ear where it's promptly hidden behind a strand of jet black hair. She looks to Steve, gesturing him to do the same and so he does. Slowly, hesitantly, Steve twirls the Focus in his hand as it hovers just above his right ear. He brings it closer, wondering how it will stick when the Focus pulls out of his fingers and attaches with a magnetic like force to his temple. He startles and glances at the woman, who looks to be enjoying the scene a little too much for his liking when suddenly, the world lights up around him.

Steve stands there in shock, awe, disbelief, whatever word best describes the feeling of a literal holographic sphere surrounding you. It's made of lights, illuminating various objects in his vicinity. Each item he looks to seems to respond to the Focus. The coffee table, now highlighted by various purple lines along its edges, has the word 'TABLE' hovering above it. There are various circular buttons floating in his periphery that don't seem to make a lot of sense to him at the moment but he keeps going. None of the logistics of the device make sense to him and Steve wonders whether Tony is able to create something as intuitive as the Focus. He did make J.A.R.V.I.S. after all.

_Why am I thinking of him right now? _

His thoughts are interrupted by the woman getting up and moving to stand in front of him. There's a hint of a smile on her face, like she's amused to see Steve reacting to the Focus.

"Why would you give me this? What's your bargain?"

"Why does there have to be a bargain? I'm not looking for anything in return."

"I find that hard to believe. You came here for a reason and this Focus or whatever, cannot be it. What are you really after and why do you need me?"

Steve's not sure if the Focus had anything to do with it, but the woman suddenly looks worn down and tired. She looks to be around Steve's age (not including frozen birthdays) but seems to have aged with exhaustion, like she's been running for too long. She's not making eye contact anymore, a stark contrast from the confidence she previously displayed, choosing to look every which way as if to calculate the best escape route. Steve is suddenly reminded that she's the intruder in his home and not the other way around.

"I'm...on the run, so to speak", she begins. "Long story short, I've been S.H.I.E.L.D.'s property for most of my life, being prepped as a "fail safe". I can't detail exactly what that means, it's all classified and I don't exactly have friends or family to confide in so...here I am. And if I really had to tell you, I don't really know why I chose you. Maybe because S.H.I.E.L.D.'s defective now and you kind of have a reputation for being too _"righteous for your own good"_, or so I've heard."

That gets a look from Steve.

"Their words, not mine. I swear."

She lets out a soft, nervous laugh at his face but sobers quickly.

"I guess what I'm saying is that I'm homeless. _And_ a fugitive. _And_ a secret. If they find me, it's over. I've used up my chances, I've pissed off a shit tonne of people, and I've got no backup. I'm not here because I know you'll help me. I'm here because I know you're the only one that'll at least listen. And whatever you choose to do after that, I'll respect. You have my word, and my Focus."

Steve is surprised, to say the least. Of everything, a plea for a second chance was at the bottom of his expectations. He looks her over and notices that the confidence is gone, replaced with a weariness and vulnerability that he wasn't even sure this woman was capable of, given how comfortable she made herself in a potential enemy's home. And to now be responsible for what is her safety and security, Steve is completely at a loss. He needs time. He needs to think this over. He still doesn't know anything about this woman. Which is why he surprises himself when he says,

"Okay, fine. I'll help you, **for now,** but if I find that you're dangerous, I _will_ take you down. In the mean time, I think the best thing to do now is get some rest and you can explain everything to me in the morning."

The look on her face is of shock, staring at him in disbelief, like she didn't expect him to react in her favor at all.

"I understand. Thank you, Captain."

"On one condition."

"Y-yeah, of course. Anything."

"Tell me your name."

Steve figures he should ask more important questions but resolves to get to that after a good night's sleep. And besides, she looks relieved, probably expecting a lot worse in terms of favors, which Steve isn't sure if that disturbs him or saddens him. Suddenly he's reconsidering everything he thought about this woman.

"Nukoni. My name's Nukoni but you can call me Kon."

"Okay, Kon. We'll...figure something out, I guess." Not the smoothest consolation he's given.

Steve removes his Focus and pockets it for the time being, gesturing to Kon to follow him to the guest room. As he leads her to the guest room, Steve chances a look behind him and sees Kon walking with her hands clasped behind her, taking in her surroundings with a sense of longing. She wears the look of someone who's never seen a home. And maybe in the morning, Steve will blame this on the ache in his chest that reminds him of Tony, or the fact that he's still sore from his Elevator Fight, or that he's extremely sleep deprived, but somehow he thinks he made the right decision.


	3. I'll Tell You But You Won't Like It

The next morning is jolting.

Steve is awake within seconds, needing to take a few moments to recall where he is and why he woke up suddenly nervous. His heart calms when he recognizes the familiar items of his bedroom, allowing him the first remnants of peace and quiet in a long time. However, the moment is fleeting when the events of last night come flooding back to his consciousness.

The captain is up and on his feet in seconds, rushing out of his room towards the guest room. Before Steve is able to compute why he's even heading towards the guest room, he finds himself skidding to a halt in front of the guest room's open door, staring at the still made bed as if it was never touched. Stricken with panic (and with the possibility of something worse), Steve hurries to the living room where he spots Nukoni sitting on the same couch he found her on the night before.

She doesn't seem to notice him, or at least Steve assumes she hasn't since she makes no move to acknowledge his presence. She seems lost in her own world, gazing out of the window with empty eyes. Steve had seen this look on her last night as well, and wonders whether she's prone to such episodes a lot.

Steve moves further into the living room, slowing his steps to mimic something more casual, as if he wasn't watching Nukoni from the shadows. He makes his foot steps deliberately heavy, hoping that Nukoni's awareness is lurking close enough to the surface that she'll hear him. He's immediately proven correct when Nukoni's head sharply swivels towards him, a startled look on her face.

"Good morning. I see the guest room was untouched", says Steve.

He notices the slight tension in her shoulders increase before a tentative smile graces her face.

"Nothing gets by you, does it?"

"That's not entirely true, considering you got into my house without me knowing."

His tone is lighthearted, confident that Nukoni is not an immediate threat given she had ample opportunity to take him out (i.e. when asleep), which is why he feels slightly guilty at the sheepish look that crosses her face.

"Yea, about that. I'm sorry. Really, I am. I don't suppose you would have invited me in if I had just knocked, right?" Her face is less tense now and her shoulders not quite hunched.

Steve figures that a good night's rest has done them both wonders, allowing them to feel more comfortable in each other's presence.

"Well if you were gonna show up with all your weapons still attached, probably not." He flashes her a wry smile as he makes his way to the kitchen. She lets out small laugh as she adjusts her position to face him. Steve sets about to prepare breakfast, likely something simple and easy. He doesn't want to lose the chance to get proper answers.

"Don't think I didn't notice you dodge my question, by the way", he continues. "You could have used the guest room, it wasn't a trap."

"I know." Nukoni pauses, seemingly hesitant with her words. "It's not that I don't appreciate your hospitality, which by the way, thank you **so much** for not killing me with that coat rack when you had the chance. It's just that...sleep would not have come regardless and it seemed wasteful to ruin perfectly clean sheets."

Nukoni regards him with soft eyes, seeming genuine in her gratitude. Some of last night's snark has returned to this wistful, morning version of Nukoni and hearing it reminds him of a certain someone once more.

He's really taken aback by the constant reminders of Tony all of a sudden. Why is she reminding him so much of Tony?

The captain pulls himself back to the present, focusing on setting plates and silverware on the counter in its appropriate place. He looks over to Nukoni, inviting her over to start eating breakfast.

"Well, for what it's worth, I can understand. Sleep is a luxury in our line of work."

"You mean in _your _line of work. Sleep evades _me_ because I've done bad things. Sleeps evades _you _because you've got a job to do. There's a difference."

The two of them are seated at the kitchen counter across from each other, with Steve eating his breakfast while Nukoni picks at hers. The whole situation feels strangely domestic and Steve wonders if this is something he could have had in another life. Nukoni, on the other hand, regards her food with disinterest, like she's ready to leave at the first sign of resistance.

"Right, which reminds me. What _kind _of bad things, exactly? You mentioned being S.H.I.E.L.D.'s property last night. Care to explain?" Steve asks

"It means exactly what it sounds like. I belong to S.H.I.E.L.D. At least I did before I stupidly ran off."

That last part is uttered quietly and to herself, though Steve hears it loud and clear.

"And belonging to S.H.I.E.L.D. means?"

Nukoni regards Steve with an exasperated sigh, leaning back to cross her arms.

"You ask too many questions, you know that?"

Steve shrugs and smiles at her with casual ease, quirking an eyebrow urging her to continue.

She sighs before continuing, "I'm...not a person. Well that's not true, I am a _person_, just not one with many rights, freedoms, or individual authority. I'm the product of a bad idea come to fruition at the expense of many innocent lives, only kept alive to serve political agendas and personal gain. If that sounds like HYDRA to you, then you'd be right, except you would also be very **_wrong_**."

Steve looks into her eyes. Their gaze, though intense and unwavering, is not as hostile as it was the night before.

"And why would I be wrong?"

"Because while HYDRA is guilty of all of those things, S.H.I.E.L.D. is too. Arguably to the same degree, if not more."

The captain ponders this for a moment. He considers whether HYDRA has secret human projects as well.

"So what you're saying is is that you're S.H.I.E.L.D.'s...secret project? And that they've been utilizing you in some unknown capacity to mediate their political relations and missions? That doesn't sound as bad as I thought it would be."

Nukoni scoffs, looking down at her food once more.

"That's because I've only told you half-truths. If I were to spill all my secrets in one sitting, you wouldn't trust a single person or object ever again."

A pause hangs in the air.

"Alright, I guess that's fair."

The two of them continue to eat in silence as Steve considers the implication of her words. There has to be some greater meaning to all of this. Why would some secret pet project of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s seek him out exclusively? Does she have anything to do with their defection? And for what purpose?

"Listen, I know you might not want to tell me but can I ask what S.H.I.E.L.D. had you do for them? I guess I'm just struggling to understand why they would keep you a secret. I mean, I work fo-well, worked for, S.H.I.E.L.D. too and a lot of what I do falls in a pretty large gray area. What you're describing sounds kind of similar to me."

He might have imagined it but Steve doesn't miss the flash of fear on Nukoni's face.

"Well, largely I've been used for '_persuasion_', if you catch my drift. Using power and fear to influence those that dare to disagree. If that didn't work, I would have to shove a couple of knives through a few ribs, you know, to make a '_point_'."

The sarcasm is not lost on Steve.

"It's amazing just how many people would risk getting stabbed than surrendering defeat. I won't lie, some of them deserved it. They were horrible people with gross intentions and were guilty of crimes you thought only imaginable. But when you're young, innocent and naive with hopes for only good things to happen, even killing 'bad' people weighs heavily on your conscience."

"I would imagine so, but I still don't understand something. Why keep you a secret? What you did for them sounds no different than what I do for S.H.I.E.L.D. Recon, persuasion, political mediation. What was so different about you?"

Unlike the past forty minutes, Nukoni actually meets Steve line of sight, staring at him intensely with a calculated look. He considers the possibility of danger but pushes that thought aside, focusing on the present. He stares back, hoping that to convey a look of openness and acceptance, that she may be honest with him.

"Remember when I said that I'm not a person? I was being half serious."

"Half serious?"

"Yes. In that it's a partial truth. I am a person, a human but not entirely. I'm only half human, the other half belonging to a mythical tribe of spiritual beings that perished a long time ago. I'm the only surviving member, or so I've been told, and that the only reason I'm even half human is because of S.H.I.E.L.D. My ancestry, so to speak, are not typically human, by which I mean not at all. They used to be a kind of spirit, hidden from the world of humans and operating as protectors for the Earth. They no longer exist and I actually don't know why. My ties to them are purely spiritual and I have no knowledge of or sentimental connection to them. The only thing that connects me to them are my abilities, my spiritual powers that allow me to be a force among humans. If I wasn't human at all, I might have had some leverage over S.H.I.E.L.D. and we wouldn't be having this conversation but as it turns out, the part of me that's human has doomed me to misery.

In other words, I'm an experimental tool and for the longest time, S.H.I.E.L.D. was uncertain as to whether I would serve better as a weapon or a peacekeeper, i.e. a "hero". But with the defection of S.H.I.E.L.D. under HYDRA, that decision was made out of their hands."

Steve regards Nukoni in silence, absorbing her words slowly and being careful so as to not react with anything that might set her off. He supposes that some of his questions have been answered, that it makes sense why safekeeping organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. might want to keep this type of thing secret. He only wonders how many secrets of this caliber exist or if Nukoni's the only one.

"I know it's a lot to take in and probably doesn't even make a lot of sense to you right now. I can tell you all you need to know,_ within reason_, as your questions arise, but I want to make one thing clear", she says.

"Go on", he replies.

"I'm _**not **_dangerous. I swear. I'm not a threat to global security or whatever else the WSC will likely conjure up to justify locking me back in that hellhole, but I'm not dangerous. I'm not out for blood, I don't want violence or revenge or payback even though I'd totally be justified in pursuing it."

"Then what _do _you want?"

A moment of silence follows as the two of them regard each other. After a minute she replies,

"Freedom."


	4. Where Do We Go Now?

_"I know it's a lot to take in and probably doesn't even make a lot of sense to you right now. I can tell you all you need to know, __within reason__, as your questions arise, but I want to make one thing clear", she says. _

_"Go on", he replies. _

_"I'm __**not**__ dangerous. I swear. I'm not a threat to global security or whatever else the WSC will likely conjure up to justify locking me back in that hellhole, but I'm not dangerous. I'm not out for blood, I don't want violence or revenge or payback even though I'd totally be justified in pursuing it." _

_"Then what do you want?" _

_A moment of silence follows as the two of them regard each other. _

_After a minute she replies, "Freedom."_

* * *

The room descends into a pensive silence as Steve considers Nukoni's confession. She's right, it **is **a lot to take in. Too many conspiracies and buried secrets about an organization he's supposedly loyal to, but Steve knows better than that. Just because he worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't mean he was particularly loyal to them and after everything that surfaced in light of Nukoni's confession, his loyalty can't and won't be bought so easily.

He lets out a soft laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Sitting in his own kitchen with a stranger that broke into his home with enough secrets to bury the whole state of New York in.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asks.

"You're gonna need more than a penny," Steve replies.

Nukoni gives him a wry smile at his joke and lets out a soft laugh of her own.

"Well, then humor me, captain. What's on your mind?"

"I just...remembered yesterday and what happened in the elevator," he says. "If it wasn't for instinct, I wouldn't have been able to see that coming at all."

_Fear and confusion as his allies turn against him._

"If I hadn't been paying attention, the STRIKE team could have taken me down just by virtue of surprise alone and I don't know, I guess that kind of worries me. About who I can trust and the legitimacy of S.H.I.E.L.D. And then to learn all of this? To be told that HYDRA still operates even in shadow, doesn't just worry me, it makes me feel like a failure."

The captain gazes just past Nukoni's shoulder, a faraway look in his eyes as she watches him with sadness. To see that even _the _Captain America can be made to doubt himself is so very humanizing. Then, the weight of his words registers in her mind and suddenly she's resolved to make that doubt disappear.

She reaches out a gentle hand and places it on top of his across the kitchen counter top. Nukoni is staring him straight in the eyes with an intensity that Steve can't look away from even if he wanted to. The feeling of her hand on top of his and her eyes looking at him brings his awareness back to the quiet humming of the kitchen appliances, the still air of the atmosphere, the soft caress of Nukoni's thumb over his knuckles.

"You're **_not _**a failure, okay?"

Her voice, like her hand, is soft and gentle, like a parent soothing a child. The captain says nothing, not trusting his voice to be anything but shaky and uncertain, instead opting to let the silence hang while her words sink in.

"How on Earth can you be held responsible for something you didn't even know of?"

"But that's just it, isn't it? Why **didn't** I know? Seventy years in the ice, Nukoni. Seventy years of just nothing, no memories, no family, no feelings, no _legacy_. Just frozen in time while the world moves on."

The hard edge in his voice is replaced with a whisper as he says,

"I thought it was a sacrifice, you know? That even if doing the right thing killed me, at least it was for a greater good. That even in death, I did good by my people, the people I swore to protect. And after the ice, even in my darkest moments when I felt so out of place and time, that thought kept me going. I couldn't let myself regret anything about who I was and who I _am _because it served a purpose greater than myself and now, all of that seems like it was for nothing."

Nukoni's hand tightens over Steve's, prompting him to look at her again. She's not looking at him anymore, instead she's gazing at her hand resting atop his with a solemn expression. Her eyes are faraway, much like Steve's were just moments before and he knows she's in a different world at this moment. He considers redirecting the conversation, away from the depressing atmosphere it's creating around them. He doesn't get the chance however, when Nukoni's voice drifts across, soft and hesitant.

"It's still not _your _failure, nor does it make _you_ one. Look, I know I've burdened you with this knowledge, hell, with my presence even, given everything that's happened since yesterday. And instead of answering your questions, I've only raised new ones."

She raises her head to meet his gaze and continues.

"What I'm trying to say is that while this isn't easy to hear, you're not...alone. This isn't just your fight anymore, it's not just your burden to carry. This whole thing with HYDRA is still so much more complicated than what meets the eye, parts of it that even _I _don't know **despite** being their pet project. HYDRA's existence, their motives, their subsequent infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D, isn't a product of _your _failure but rather a product of _their _success. And besides, maybe your legacy isn't over just yet."

A silence follows for a moment before Steve says,

"An interesting take but I'll let it go, for now."

Steve gives Nukoni a small smile as he gets up from his seat. As he's putting the dishes away and cleaning up, he can see Nukoni move from her seat as well and towards the living room window. He lifts his head to see if she needs anything, only to find her looking slightly startled and moving slowly towards window. He's about to ask her what's wrong when she lifts a finger in his direction and silences him with a quick "shhh", all without looking at him.

She's now positioned next to the window, her back against the wall as she peers past the curtain. Her eyes are darting around but her face is eerily blank.

"There's someone here", she whispers.

Steve is already positioned in an offensive stance as he grabs his shield and props himself on the other side of the window, mirroring Nukoni's stance. However, unlike Nukoni, Steve isn't looking outside but rather looking at her.

"What's happening? You see someone?" he whispers.

"No. But I sense a presence."

The captain thinks she should elaborate on what that means exactly but doesn't get the chance to think it further when she's suddenly gripping her sword handle and swinging it at a figure entering through the window.

The next few moments are quick and blurry, and before he can understand what's happening, he sees Natasha pinned to the wall with Nukoni's sword edged at her throat. Something seems to be different to Steve because he knows for a fact that Natasha is skilled enough to get out of the situation she's in, but she seems subdued.

It takes Steve a moment to notice the other, smaller blade in Nukoni's hand, positioned right above the assassin's heart.

_Oh, she's good,_ Steve thinks.

"Whoa, stand down Nukoni! She's not an enemy!"

She doesn't move for a moment before slowly lowering her weapons and backing up. Natasha takes this opportunity to swipe at the smaller blade by kicking it out of Nukoni's hand to disable her but isn't successful for long before it's back in her other hand. The transfer was quick and invisible and Steve wonders when Nukoni even sheathed her sword, considering it is now safely tucked behind her once again.

She smiles at Natasha in a manner of mockery, side-stepping the assassin and positioning herself next to Steve.

Her voice is playful as she says, "That was cute but next time, don't be so predictable."

Natasha ignores the jab and cuts straight to the point.

"Steve, what the hell is going on and who's the sidekick?"

The captain sighs as he places his shield on the ground. "She's not a sidekick, first of all. Secondly, I couldn't tell you to be honest because I'm not entirely sure _what_ is going on."

"Well then you better get started."

She gestures to him to take a seat as she moves to do the same, purposefully brushing shoulders past Nukoni. The other woman doesn't acknowledge the act but also chooses to remain standing. Nukoni moves to lean against the wall she was previously taking cover at, while Steve and Natasha take a seat on the couch.

"No need to look at her like that, Nat. If I thought she was dangerous, she wouldn't be here."

"Or _you _wouldn't be here", Nukoni mutters. Steve throws her an exasperated look.

"Well forgive my skepticism Cap, but you're not exactly known to sleep around", says Natasha as she shoots Nukoni an accusatory glance.

"Okay, I resent the implication that a one hundred year old man could successfully seduce me." Nukoni gives a wry smile but Steve suspects she may actually be offended. _I should be the one offended. _

"Well I don't have much to go on considering I have no idea who you are and I've been here for at least eight minutes", Natasha replies. She then turns to Steve without giving the other woman a chance to respond and continues.

"So are you going to elaborate on why I was attacked by an unknown in _your_ apartment?"

"Sure, as soon as you can explain why you were entering through the window in the first place. Forgot how to knock?" Steve retorts.

"I like to keep things interesting, keep you on your toes and all that." Natasha offers up a wry smile as Steve chuckles softly.

"Well I appreciate your concern but I think I'm doing fine. And to answer your question, I only met this unknown yesterday."

Nukoni's voice is faintly heard in the background as she protests being referred to as unknown, while Steve and Natasha continue their conversation.

"In all seriousness, things are not as we know them, Natasha. I know I was supposed to contact you after meeting with Pierce yesterday but I ran into some trouble."

"The kind of trouble that 'STRIKE's?" says Natasha.

Steve's gaze turns sharp as he says, "yea, exactly that kind of trouble. How did you know?"

"I have my ways", she says.

The captain gives her a look of warning. "Don't play that game right now, Nat. How many people know?"

"Okay, relax Cap. I might have hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s servers when I didn't hear back from you. Why do you think I'm here?"

Steve suddenly feels a little sheepish having jumped to such a conclusion, about Natasha of all people too, and jokes "to keep me on my toes?"

He supposes that it makes sense Natasha knows. It's not exactly abnormal for a spy of Natasha's caliber to practice a healthy level of paranoia. Natasha rolls her eyes at Steve's attempt at humor and crosses her arms.

"We can discuss the STRIKE debacle later. First, let's get to the heart of the matter. Who's she?"

The spy points to Nukoni who is watching Natasha warily. Nukoni is silent for a moment before standing properly and moving closer to the two. Steve nods at her to take a seat but she refuses, opting to practice caution and remain standing instead. Not that she was worried Natasha could hurt her, she's much more skilled than that but she also isn't ready to lower her defenses just yet.

"I have a feeling you won't appreciate my story telling ability so I'll just get to the point. I'm a project of S.H.I.E.L.D., a type of enforcer if you will. My existence is not known to many and I mainly operated within the shadows. All you really need to know about me is that I am now a defective enforcer who belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. who, by the way, is also now defective under, drum roll please, HYDRA."

Natasha straighten's her posture and her expression becomes tight.

"That's not possible. I know everything about S.H.I.E.L.D. and there's no record or sign of a HYDRA takeover. Who do you think you're fooling?"

Steve's hand reaches out to Natasha, motioning her to settle down. He locks eyes with her and says, "She's not lying. Do you know why the STRIKE team even attacked me? Because they work under HYDRA, not S.H.I.E.L.D. and they've been an undercover operative for who knows how long. I'm not sure what their motivation was or why they chose that specific moment to attack but I'm willing to bet it has something to do with Nukoni, which is why for my sake, I need you to trust her on this."

Natasha looks at the captain incredulously. "Trust her? I barely know who she is and I'm going to make an educated assumption and say that neither do you."

"Nat, listen-"

"You don't have to trust me", says Nukoni. "Like I said to Steve yesterday, I just need you to hear me out. Whether or not you believe me is honestly up to you, but I wouldn't be standing here, exposing my most vulnerable secrets in front of two members of the Avengers if I didn't have good reason to."

Her face is hard and serious, unwavering even under Natasha's steely glare.

"I'm not here to fight you, _Black Widow, _and I know it's a lot to ask of you to trust me but you've really got no choice. Your now former employer is compromised and despite your doubts, you need my secrets in order to dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA.

Natasha considers Nukoni for a moment before softening her expression and settling back down. She's not one to be rattled so easily but nothing is making sense to her right now and she's supposed to know everything about S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Tell me everything", she says.

Nukoni takes a seat on the arm of the couch Natasha is occupying and props her feet up on the seats.

"I can only tell you what I told Steve. You're not the only one with trust issues after all."

The assassin offers a knowing smile to Nukoni.

"Sounds about right. Fine. I'm all ears."

And so Nukoni tells Natasha everything, from escaping HYDRA (formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.), about her origins and purpose, and finally to how she broke into Steve's apartment to enlist his help (though she omitted the part about the coat rack to save Cap the embarrassment, for which he nods his gratitude for). After all is said and done, the three of them enter a pensive silence as the former S.H.I.E.L.D. spy mulls over everything she's been told. Natasha has to take a moment to gather her thoughts, and when she finally speaks, she's addressing Steve.

"This is all...overwhelming. And I have half a mind to restrain this woman," which Nukoni scoffs at, "while I verify her story but if _you_ believe her, then that's good enough for me. I guess it wouldn't make much sense for her to be exposing HYDRA if she worked for them but it's my job to have a certain level of skepticism."

Natasha turns to look at Nukoni who is appraising her with a bit of admiration, she thinks. She raises a brow in response but Nukoni just shrugs and says,

"I get it. I can respect the hustle", she says, sounding slightly indignant. "I'm not looking to make best friends here so your skepticism has been acknowledged."

Natasha rolls her eyes, sighs and continues.

"This is beyond anything I imagined you telling me. These aren't just secrets, Nukoni. This is...a revelation. A bad one. If word of this got out, it would put a target on your back."

"In case you haven't been listening sweetheart, there's _already_ a target on my back. And likely yours too if Steve's little parlay with STRIKE is anything to go by."

Steve is silent as the realization dawns on him. He sharply looks up at both women who seem startled by his sudden shift in demeanor.

"If what you say is true, would it be fair to assume that HYDRA thinks you've contacted all of the Avengers?"

Nukoni thinks about it for a second before replying, "Well, I suppose they would. I mean, sure. Yeah, they could assume that. Why?"

Natasha is the first to catch on to the captain's train of thought.

"Should we be worried about the others?" she says.

"We need to get to them, **now**!"

Nukoni finally catches on and shares a look with the two Avengers. She a little worried about having to get more Avengers involved but realizes that if she needs their help, she's going to have to compromise.

"Alright, yeah, you should be a little worried", Nukoni says. "HYDRA is a little overprotective about me, which I mean in the worst way possible, and we've already wasted a fair bit of time. However, we're going to need a safe house because whoever's pulling the strings behind my manhunt, will definitely have a wide reach."

"So what you're saying is, trust no one."

"That shouldn't be problem for you, right Natasha? I thought it was your job to trust no one."

Natasha throws an exasperated look at Steve, but the captain is busy creating a plan of action to pay attention. He looks at the both of them, ignoring their bickering and says,

"I think I know just the place."


	5. Who, Say, What Now?

**A/N:** Wow thank you guys for your patience! This chapter hard to put out because of all the writer's block. Also, unrelated but I keep re-watching every Tony Stark scene ever on Youtube because I just miss him so much. LOL

**Chapter Summary: **_Sam Wilson is not one to schedule social visits and typically spends his days by himself. He supposes that was going to end sooner or later._

* * *

_"So what you're saying is, trust no one." _

_"That shouldn't be problem for you, right __**Natasha**__? I thought it was your job to trust no one." _

_Natasha throws an exasperated look at Steve but the captain is busy creating a plan of action to pay them any mind. He looks at the both of them, ignoring their bickering and adds, _

_"I think I know just the place." _

* * *

Sam places the kettle back on the counter and grabs the now full mug of tea. He makes his way towards the kitchen table where his laptop is propped open and takes a seat, but no sooner has his butt hit the chair when there's a subtle knock on the door.

The veteran pauses for moment to recall whether he was meant to have any visitors today. He can't remember having scheduled any, which is not out of the ordinary since he tends to keep his days to himself, but it's not uncommon for a salesperson to make their way around occasionally. Sam figures it might just be a sales rep of some sort and begrudgingly prepares himself for a long, uninteresting story about why he should donate to the local pet shelter.

It's not that he doesn't care about puppies, he just doesn't care enough to hear about it for thirty minutes.

Just as Sam is about to tell the poor rep that he's not interested, he opens the door to be met with a familiar pair of eyes. Of anything he expected, seeing _the _Captain America standing at his door was not on the top of his list.

In fact, it wasn't on any list.

The captain meets the veteran's eyes for a moment before he offers a tentative smile.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, Sam, but we need a safe place to lay low for a while."

While it wasn't exactly a request, Sam doesn't pretend to misunderstand and moves a few paces backwards to let him inside. He hadn't noticed earlier, what with all the shock of seeing Captain America at his doorstep, but there are two other people accompanying Rogers. He recognizes the red haired woman whom he briefly met the last time he saw Steve Rogers, but he has no idea who the other woman is. Experience has taught him to wait as he'll likely be introduced to her later. Besides, he doesn't want to get started on the wrong foot.

Once they're settled in, Sam allows himself to take a good look at the trio. He first focuses on the new girl, a tall woman with black hair, covered head to toe in black attire. Her face is neutral as she observes his living room, which suddenly worries him that she might not be here as an ally but he forces the thought out of his head. He may not have known Captain America for longer than a day but he knows with certainty that he wouldn't do something that reckless.

He then takes a moment to regard Natasha who's already looking at him when their eyes meet. Sam raises a brow at her but she responds with a soft smile and, what he can only assume to be, gratitude in her eyes. Sam returns her smile with a small one of his own before finally settling on the first avenger, Captain America. The captain is standing in the middle of the living room with both hands on his hips. He looks at Sam with gratitude of his own and smiles, to which Sam responds with one of his own as he leans in the doorway.

"First things first, I owe you an apology," the captain starts.

Sam nods his head in acknowledgement and for him to continue.

"I know it's a lot to ask of you but we need some time to lay low, and there aren't very many places where we can do that safely. We'll be out of here before anything can be traced back to you but I'm going to have to ask that you pretend we're not here in case anyone comes looking."

Sam makes an exaggerated show of thinking it over, pursing his lips and crossing his arms to look pensive. Truth is, he's not going to deny Rogers' request but he also doesn't want to risk coming off as too eager. After a moment of pretend thoughtfulness, Sam address the three of them.

"If anyone asks, I live alone. As far as all the other stuff, well, who am I to turn down _the_ Captain America?"

Rogers expressions becomes soft as he counts the loyalty of those he barely knows.

"Even if I might be wrong?" he asks softly.

"Well, are you?"

"So far, I don't think so."

"Then that's good enough for me."

"This is all cute and romantic but we need to focus here," the new girl interrupts. "We're kind of on a time budget."

"Right. Sam this is Nukoni, uh, a friend and you know Natasha. Sort of."

Natasha chooses this moment to move closer and extends a hand towards Sam.

"Natasha Romanoff. Nice to see you again, Wilson, though under the circumstances, it's best we don't get too familiar."

Sam lightly laughs at that and shakes her hand. He's beginning to wonder whether he's going to regret doing this but quickly shuts that line of thinking down. Natasha, seemingly done with the conversation, moves to stand closer to Steve while the new girl, Nukoni, remains still. She hasn't made any kind of introductory gesture, almost like she doesn't intend to acquaint herself even when she locks eyes with Sam. He offers her a gentle, yet tentative smile anyway and receives nothing in return. She continues to regard him with a passive expression but her gaze remains intense and unwavering. The man figures Nukoni must be one with a lot of defensive walls, something he's not unfamiliar with in his line of volunteer work. He's about to move on and continue talking to the captain when Nukoni finally speaks up. Her voice is amiable, completely unlike the aura she was emanating just a few seconds ago.

"My name's Nukoni and that's all I'm going to say."

Her smile remains friendly but Sam knows it's not genuine and he can see the small tension in her posture. He's also not unused to such bizarre conversation starters and easily writes it off as one of her presumably many quirks.

"Nice to meet you too, Nukoni. Your name is all I need to know."

Nukoni's smile shifts from guarded to slightly more sincere as her posture eases minutely. If Sam wasn't experienced with veterans, or even one himself, he wouldn't notice the change. He guesses every person in this room has a fair amount of their own demons.

"Now," Sam continues, "anyone hungry?"

Steve, who is standing closest to Sam, is the one to answer.

"Actually, we can freshen up first?"

* * *

After being shown to a guest room, the three fugitives take turns washing up. Natasha goes first while Steve and Nukoni familiarize themselves with the room.

Steve takes this moment to look over his artillery and weapons as Nukoni seats herself at the edge of the bed. She watches the captain lay out his belongings for a few minutes before breaking the silence.

"So, where exactly is this plan of yours taking us and do you plan on sharing?"

She's not looking at the captain, instead choosing to reach out and softly run her hand at the edge of the shield sitting nearby. Her hands linger for a second as she admires the material, while Steve regards her with something akin to amusement.

"You like it?" he asks.

"Oh yeah, much more beautiful in person," she replies softly, eyes faraway in a memory but it isn't long before she's back. "You didn't answer my question."

She removes her hand from the shield and looks up at Steve. The expression on her face is open and soft, almost vulnerable, and Steve realizes that he forgot how new and uncertain all of this is to her.

Steve sighs and says, "this...whole situation is, to put it gently, unique. I'm not exactly sure what we're up against and right now, my first priority is to keep you out of the spotlight and get in touch with the rest of the team." Steve runs a hand through his hair and then crosses his arms. "I need to know how many of us are compromised in the way that I am."

"You mean if HYDRA's targeting other Avengers like they did you?"

"Possibly," he replies.

"I wouldn't bet on it."

That grabs Steve's attention. Up until this moment, Nukoni had given no insight into whether or not she knew more than she had let on. When he thought about, it didn't occur to him to question her about it in the first place.

"And why wouldn't you?"

Nukoni doesn't answer for a moment, glancing not-so-subtly towards the bathroom door, probably hoping to use Natasha's return as an excuse to derail the conversation but when she doesn't appear, Nukoni guiltily looks back.

"I may or may not know why you were attacked in the elevator," she finally settles on saying. "I haven't exactly told you the...details of how I escaped but there was one moment when I almost didn't make it out of there. And...when I was confronted by my '_captors_', they tried to persuade me that no one out here would be of help to me and that if I didn't have allies to assist me, then it was only a matter of time until I faced the music, so to speak."

She pauses and looks down at her hands resting her in lap.

"I guess, in that moment when I was just so close to getting out of there, I kind of threw caution to the wind and...may have told them...that I spoke to a certain shield wielding...superhero."

By the time Nukoni is finished talking, her cheeks are flushed with embarrassment and when she raises her eyes to see the captain's reaction, she's met with the sight of him desperately trying not to laugh. He fails at the attempt, however, when loud laughter escapes him and he sits down next to her on bed. Nukoni, feeling extremely self-conscious about being laughed at, moves to stand next to the bedroom window and away from Steve. She resolutely stares out the window the man behind her takes a moment to calm down.

This is the scene Natasha walks into when she return from the bathroom. Her face is carefully neutral but involuntarily smiles at the rare sight of Steve laughing. Then she notices Nukoni by the bedroom window, projecting exactly the opposite kind of vibe from Steve. When Natasha stands beside her, she gets a close up look of the scowl on Nukoni's face.

"What on earth did you say that made _the _Steve Rogers actually laugh out _loud_?"

She expected Nukoni to simply roll her eyes or maybe even tell her what the joke was all about but instead, she's met with an unsettled expression.

"Personally, I don't think what I said was that funny."

She doesn't offer much more than that and Natasha doesn't get the chance to pry when Steve's laughter has faded into a quiet chuckle. The bed creaks as the captain stands up and joins the two women at the window. He and Natasha share a look, and Steve subtly shakes his head, signalling to her that she shouldn't ask. Natasha shrugs her shoulders and moves away from the window so that Steve can take her place.

"I'm sorry for laughing, Nukoni. I wasn't laughing at _you_."

Nukoni gives him a sideways look and scoffs.

"That sounded an awful lot like laughter to me, Cap."

The captain has the decency to look modest at that and sobers up.

"No, no, I wasn't laughing at you. I swear. I was laughing because of all the explanations you could have given me, something as innocent as a white lie to save yourself was not what I expected."

The other woman turns to look at Steve completely, face full of shock and confusion.

"You're not mad at me?" she asks softly.

"Not at all. All things considered, I'm kinda flattered."

"Even when I'm the reason you were ambushed the other day?"

Steve gently grabs Nukoni's arm and guides her to sit next to him on the bed. He angles himself towards her while clasping his hands and regards her with as much sincerity he can muster.

"I'm not sure if you noticed but I became a fugitive based on the things you told me because I believe you. And not just that, but I brought another S.H.I.E.L.D agent with me to a house that belongs to a man I barely know. If I blamed this on you in anyway, you would never have gotten away with it the second you told me your story."

Nukoni's eyes are suspiciously wet and her hand reaches over to brush her hair away from her face, using this movement to subtly wipe her eyes. She runs her hand down the length of her ponytail and passes a grateful smile to Steve.

"Thank you," she whispers. "and by the way, you don't stand a chance against me."

Her eyes are brighter and full of mischief as she makes her way to the bathroom. Steve rolls his eyes in response while she walks away and Natasha promptly takes Nukoni's place on the bed.

"So are you gonna tell what was so funny?"

While Steve tells Natasha what was so funny, Sam shows up in the doorway of the bedroom. He takes a quick look around and then settles his gaze on the two avengers in the room.

"Just thought you should know that lunch is ready, if you guys are into that sort of thing."

Steve just smiles at the man and tells him that they'll be in the kitchen shortly. When Sam leaves the room, Natasha turns to him and says,

"Were you telling her the truth?"

"About what?"

"That you believe her. You said you're doing this because you believe her and so I'm asking, do you?"

It's a difficult question and one that he doesn't answer right away.

"I believe that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised and I also believe that she's running from someone, or something. I mean, with everything that happened with STRIKE and the timing of her appearance is all too coincidental for it be anything other than related. Why do you ask? You don't believe her?"

Natasha sighs and looks past Steve's shoulder before meeting his gaze.

"I'm not saying I don't believe _her_, I'm just saying that there's more to this than she's telling us. Something doesn't add up."

It's in this moment Steve is suddenly reminded of the device that Nukoni gave him that day. The Focus. He hasn't told Natasha that part of the story and Nukoni hadn't mentioned it to her either, so he's unsure as to whether or not she purposefully intended for it to stay this way. How is Steve going to convince Natasha that he trusts her when she has no knowledge of the Focus. Deciding to follow Nukoni's lead, Steve holds the thought and says,

"Well, I guess we'll find out exactly what."

Natasha seems to accept this, which makes Steve feel a little bit guilty for lying to her by omission but he can't risk losing Nukoni's trust right now. For the moment, he tells himself that when all the dust settles and the truth inevitably comes out, Natasha will understand why he didn't tell her. Until then, he has to do this.

Their conversation shifts to something more casual and decide to meet Sam in the kitchen for lunch. As the two of them walk out of the bedroom, Nukoni emerges from the bathroom slowly, making sure that they were out of the room completely. When it's clear that Steve and Natasha have left, she allows herself a moment of doubt. She was beginning to trust Steve, at least enough to follow his lead, but having heard their conversation about her, she's not so sure anymore. She did notice that the captain made no mention of the Focus to Natasha, even when Nukoni was seemingly out of their presence where he could have easily caught her up to speed. She's not sure if he didn't tell her on purpose or not but decides that when she gets the opportunity, to confront him about it. The Focus is a special device and she entrusted it to Steve because she believes he'll respect her enough to keep the secret, but even the best of people have moments of weakness, and Nukoni's beginning to wonder if Natasha is one of them.

As she turns to leave the room and join the others in the kitchen for lunch, Nukoni glances at the shield resting on the bed one more time before closing the door behind her.

**A/N: ****As always, your feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	6. Do I Know You (Pt 2)

**A/N: Woooowww this is the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm really bad at writing long chapters. I'm also kinda mixed about my writing in this one cause I feel like I started off bad but ended it better and don't have the energy to really make it consistent anymore.**

**Point is, I tried.**

* * *

_The Focus is a special device and she entrusted it to Steve because she believes he'll respect her enough to keep the secret, but even the best of people have moments of weakness and Nukoni's beginning to wonder if Natasha is one of them. _

_As she turns to leave the room and join the others in the kitchen for lunch, Nukoni glances at the shield resting on the bed one more time before closing the door behind her._

* * *

Tony finds himself suddenly awake, slowly tuning in to the sound of J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice talking. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes while pushing himself to sit up. Feeling slightly annoyed at having his rare opportunity to sleep interrupted, the mechanic shifts his attention to the A.I. who continues to speak.

"Shall I accept it, Sir?"

"Sorry, J. Say that again?" he says running a tired hand through his hair.

"I said there's an incoming call from Captain Rogers, shall I put him through?"

Well, he certainly wasn't expecting that. He briefly wonders why the Cap's calling him so out of the blue, but Tony can only guess it's "work" related. It's not like they're known for casual conversation anyhow.

"Put him through."

There's a brief pause before he hears some shuffling on the other end of the call. He waits for Steve to speak but all he hears is the sound of someone walking. It's not like Steve to accidentally call people and even though Steve is familiar enough with phones now, he doesn't tend to use them often. Just as he's about to call out to the other man, Steve's voice cuts across.

"Oh, uh, hello?"

"Um, hey Cap. I would ask what's up, but you seem in a hurry," Tony says, keeping his voice neutral.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you would pick up so soon. I was just getting to some place more private," the man replies.

"Private? Do you finally have a girlfriend to hide from?" Tony snorts at the mental image of a domesticated Captain America. Steve answers him with a soft chuckle while the sound of a door closing can be heard in the background.

"No, I'm just at a friend's house." He pauses for a minute as an awkward silence engulfs the two of them. Tony is tempted to fill the awkwardness with a joke but something in Steve's voice has him perturbed.

"Listen," he continues, "something happened yesterday that I can't quite talk about on the phone. Is there someplace we can, you know, debrief?"

A million different thoughts run through Tony's mind, ranging from worrisome to downright catastrophic. He's itching to ask Cap to elaborate but knows that he'll hit a brick wall so instead, he buries his panic and tells Steve to meet him at the Avengers Tower in an hour.

"Thanks Tony, I appreciate it on such short notice. And, uh, by the way, I'm bringing Natasha and two other people with me," he adds quickly.

Tony raises an eyebrow in response even when he knows the other man can't see it.

"So, you're dating Natasha, huh? Not what I expected but hey, I won't judge. Good for you, dating someone so…_unique._"

An exasperated sigh can be heard on the other end and Tony smiles slightly.

"No! I'm not dating her; I have more respect than that."

"For whom? You or her?"

"Tony, please. She's just a friend."

Tony can imagine the blush on Cap's face right now and decides he's tortured him enough. He backtracks to Steve's earlier comment, recalling that he mentioned two other people.

"Okay, okay, so you're not dating her. Who else am I expecting then? They wouldn't happen to be the very friends whose house you're at, would they?"

Tony hears shuffling and what sounds like a bed creaking.

"Well, sort of. It's kind of complicated and I would say it makes more sense in person, but I'm not entirely sure it will."

Tony notices how tired the man sounds, resonating the kind of exhaustion that comes from overthinking. It must be one hell of a mess if Captain America is already tired of dealing with it.

Tony sighs at the thought of what might be waiting for him.

"Well, lucky for you, nonsense is entirely my forte, so I think we'll be fine."

"Right. Thanks Tony. We'll see you soon."

"Yea, see ya."

When the call ends, Tony remains seated on his bed. His mind is no longer fogged from sleep, too busy thinking about what he potentially got himself into just now. He feels a sudden bout of anxiety, swirls of butterflies migrating from his stomach and up towards his throat. The genius doesn't know why but chooses to quickly clamp down on the feeling. After a few minutes of thinking, Tony makes his way to the bathroom to prepare for Steve's arrival.

"If they get here before I'm done, just seat them in the common room, J." he says over his shoulder.

"Will do, Sir."

Steve re-enters the kitchen after ending his call and reclaims his seat next to Natasha. He can feel her eyes on him, scouring his face for clues about what he's thinking, but he knows she won't find much. He offers the spy a comforting smile instead, hoping to divert her attention elsewhere. It doesn't work.

"What did Tony say?" she asks.

He doesn't miss the way Nukoni's head whips towards them from the corner of his eyes, and he wonders why. He's never mentioned Tony's name before, and she can't possibly know who they're talking about. Right?

Forgoing his concerns, Steve shifts his attention back to Natasha who's still waiting on him to answer.

"Not much. I didn't wanna say anything over the phone in case we're being heard." He hears Nukoni mutter something along the lines of '_good call'_ across from him, though he remains facing Natasha. "But he did agree to meet us at the Avenger's Tower in about an hour."

"That soon?"

"I guess. We're running on a timeline anyway so it's better to meet sooner than later. If we wait too long, we might not get the opportunity for later."

Natasha nods her heads in agreement while Steve diverts the conversation elsewhere.

"So, what'd I miss?"

Natasha's face becomes playful as she eyes Sam and says, "Well, Sam was about to tell me about his _hobbies." _

"I kinda feel like I'm being mocked," says Sam. "And I wouldn't call it a hobby, exactly."

He pushes a manila folder across the table to both Steve and Natasha, which he eyes hesitantly. Sam picks up on this and reaches across the table to open up the first cover. He retracts his hand and lets the other man have a proper look.

Natasha leans over next to Steve to get a better glimpse at the file, seeing it for the first time as well. As the two of them lean closer to read it, Sam hears Steve whisper, "What is this?"

"Call it a resume," Sam retorts. Natasha casts a brief glance at him and then continues reading. Steve gently picks up the photo from the folder and holds it up to his face.

"Wow," Steve whispers. "I thought you said you were a pilot?"

Sam laughs softly. "I never said pilot."

Steve looks back down at the picture of Sam in a winged suit, armed to the teeth with technical gear. He absorbs the image, trying to imagine it in action and on a battlefield but then it dawns on him of what's being implied.

"I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason."

The other man crosses his arms and smiles.

"Like I said before, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in."

The two exchange knowing glances while Natasha continues to observe the files. Some time during this conversation, Steve had forgotten about Nukoni and is suddenly startled by her voice when she speaks.

"Anyone gonna fill me in?"

For the first time since he re-entered the kitchen, Steve gets a proper look at the other woman. Sitting next to Sam with her legs crossed nursing a cup of tea in her hands, Nukoni seems outwardly disinterested in the conversation, but Steve has increasingly noticed that she often tries to minimize her presence in many ways. Probably a force of habit.

Natasha responds to her by pushing the stack of folders in Nukoni's direction.

"I'm assuming you know how to read, in which case, feel free to fill in the gaps yourself."

Letting go of the teaspoon she's stirring her tea with, Nukoni rolls her eyes with as much contempt she can muster. Lazily extending one hand, she pulls the folders towards her and opens it up to see the picture of the winged suit, though she doesn't immediately react. Placing the teacup on the kitchen table, she grabs the folder with both hands and settles it on her lap. The woman still says nothing, simply opting to stare at the picture with an intensity that might just burn a hole through it.

The other occupants don't say anything, unwilling to disrupt the silence that permeates the room. Curious to know why Nukoni is displaying such solemn interest in his file, Sam takes to scrutinizing her face when he thinks she's not looking, but it isn't long before she finally looks up from the folder and turns to him.

"Where's the suit now?"

Momentarily caught off guard, Sam carefully considers the question.

"Well, the last one is at Fort Mead behind three guarded gates and a 12-inch steel wall," he replies.

She nods thoughtfully and looks down at the folder again to gently close it back up and places it on the tabletop. When the silence drags on long enough, Sam and the others assume Nukoni isn't going to say more and continue with their conversation. Nukoni takes this opportunity to analyze her options; while she's not exactly thrilled at the prospect of involving more people in this mess, she guesses there aren't many choices lined up for her now. In fact, the rest of the Avengers haven't even been caught up to speed yet, so there's really not much left in her control.

_I guess I should just take what I can get at this point, _she thinks and as she's zoned out, staring at her now abandoned teacup without really seeing it, she's abruptly jolted into the present at the mention of Tony's name, suddenly reminded of a whole different kind of problem.

Anthony Stark.

She probably should have mentioned it earlier to Steve that she's well aware of who Tony Stark is but also figured that it would only create more questions than she can answer. Plus, if anyone ever found out, then the very secret she's been trying so hard to protect becomes vulnerable to exposure and if _that _happens, then they'll just hand her right back to HYDRA, no questions asked.

Tuning into their conversation, Nukoni catches the tail end of Steve's sentence about how they should be on their way to meet Tony. Her heart drops into her stomach out of sheer anxiety, completely unprepared to face the genius known as Tony Stark. She convinces herself that there's no reason to worry since it's extremely unlikely Tony will know who she is, but it does little to quell her nerves.

Nukoni sees both Steve and Natasha head towards the bedroom to grab their gear and makes a move to follow them when she's stopped by Sam.

"Hey, uh, just out of curiosity. Why'd you need to know where the falcon suit is?" he asks.

"Well you're gonna need it, aren't you?"

Sam's eyes widen in confusion before he understands what Nukoni's implying. A smile slowly graces his face as he hums softly.

"That's true, I do need it if I'm gonna help. The question is, how are you going to get it?"

"Simple. Sneak in and take it," she replies with confidence.

"You make it sound so easy. I can't imagine getting past several armed guards would be a walk in the park, let alone over a fortified steel wall. At least not without attention."

"Right," she replies, "that's true. For you. Not for me. I'm very good at what I do and that's all you need to know." She turns back around to head into the bedroom but not before throwing one last comment over her shoulder.

"Don't worry big bird, you'll get your suit."

With that, she disappears into the room leaving Sam wondering what exactly he got himself into.

In the meantime, Nukoni enters the room as Steve and Natasha are packing up their things. Natasha is tightening her holsters just as Steve straps the shield to his back when the two of them notice the other woman.

Nukoni smiles at them as she glides past them towards the bathroom to fix her hair when she notices Natasha following her inside. Standing in front of the sink, she can see the Black Widow looking at her through the mirror from her position behind her, arms crossed and face neutral. Nukoni sighs in irritation, feeling kind of annoyed at being tailed in such a manner and begins untying her ponytail.

In the three minutes it takes Nukoni to redo her hair, Natasha still hasn't spoken a word, simply choosing to continue staring and it's beginning to freak her out a little. She finishes retying her hair and leans over the sink on both hands.

"Is it always going to be like this with you, Widow?"

"It will if you continue to keep secrets." Her voice, though smooth and unwavering, is sharp in its delivery.

Nukoni turns away from Natasha's reflection to face her directly. She keeps her expressions neutral, unwilling to let the red-haired woman see the anxiety spooling in her throat.

"You mean like you?" she retorts.

Natasha's face remains stoic but Nukoni knows she's hit a sore spot when the spy doesn't respond. Taking this as her cue to continue, she keeps going.

"Listen, I'm not saying this because I want us to be best friends or some shit, but you and I are not that different, and I get the feeling that you don't trust me _because _of that. I mean, why would you trust someone just _like you_ when you don't even trust _yourself._"

Her becomes lower and is just a whisper by the time she's finished talking. Her face, just inches from Natasha's, is cold and humorless and at some point, had moved close enough to stand nose to nose.

Natasha's own expression becomes bitter as she carefully shakes her head.

"I told Steve you were full of shit. And I was right."

The spy doesn't wait for Nukoni to answer and all but marches out of the bathroom. When Nukoni's certain she's far enough away, she lets go of the breath she'd been holding, shaky and full of anxiety.

_Note to self: stay out of her way or lose it all. _

Taking a moment to compose herself, Nukoni brushes her hair once more for good measure and then joins the rest outside.

Once Tony finished getting showered and dressed, he feels much more awake than before. With new clarity, he revisits his phone call with Steve, trying to find any hints the other man may have dropped that went over his head earlier. He comes up empty, however, considering the call lasted less than five minutes.

Glancing at the clock, the billionaire grabs the mug of coffee off the kitchen counter on his way down to the lab. J.A.R.V.I.S. hasn't notified him of any arrival yet and Tony figures he can take this time to get some work done.

No sooner had he reached the elevator when his A.I. interrupts with the news of Steve's arrival. Tony feels only briefly irritated from being redirected before the anxiety from that morning comes back with a new intensity. Tony has never dealt well with uncertainty and having no idea what to expect from Steve is killing him.

The genius supposes he could make them wait a little bit, he's not exactly known for being on time and it would give him the opportunity to get his act together. But then making them wait means _he_ has to wait and that just won't do, so Tony makes the split decision to head to the common room where Steve and his guests are currently seated.

When the elevator doors open, he doesn't immediately spot them. Walking further into the room, he first notices Natali-, no wait, Natasha, who's already sensed his presence and turns to greet him.

"Well, well, the last time _we _met, you had just moved up from the ranks of 'backstabbing secretary' to an 'okay teammate'. What's next on the ladder?"

"You can hate me for doing my job all you want, Tony, but you can't deny I was great being both those things."

Tony playfully rolls his eyes as he scans the room for the others. His eyes land on Steve who had been seated on the couch but is now making his way towards him and Natasha.

"Hey Tony, thanks for meeting us on such short notice," the captain says, reaching out to shake Tony's extended hand.

"Yea, yea, you're grateful and all that, let's skip over the parts where you make me seem nice. It's not good for my image," he jokes.

They share a laugh before Tony subtly attempts to look past Steve's shoulder. Steve notices this and turns slightly sideways so that both and Sam and Nukoni can introduce themselves. They exchange greetings as Tony and Sam shake hands, while Nukoni hangs back and waves shyly.

"Sam Wilson, nice to meet you Mr. Stark."

"Pleasures all mine but please, call me Tony. Mr. Stark makes me sound like my father." He makes an exaggerated gagging motion, playing up his repulsion for being referred to as 'Mr.' anything. Sam smiles in response, amused by the familiarity with which Tony interacts with people.

Tony then turns to the other woman and he's immediately drawn to her face. The two of them stare at each other for a moment and Tony is suddenly overcome with a sense of Deja Vu, like he's seen this girl before.

She steps forwards slowly, extending one hand while the other grabs a fistful of her pants.

"Uh, Hi. I'm Nukoni, nice to meet you." Her voice is steady, but Tony doesn't miss the way her hand is slightly shaking. It's not outwardly obvious to the average person but no one in the room currently qualifies as average and judging by the look on the rest of their faces, they seem to have noticed it too.

Tony spares her further scrutiny and grasps her hand firmly. They lock eyes for a few seconds, and he can see something akin to panic in Nukoni's eyes, which confuses him because he's absolutely certain that they've never met before.

"Likewise," he replies.

The two of them let go and Nukoni is quick to look away and partially hide herself behind Steve. The genius thinks it's a bit strange, but he lets it go for now. Turning away from the group, Tony waves a hand behind him, signalling for them to follow. As they start walking towards one of the conference rooms, Steve picks up the pace and matches pace alongside him instead.

Tony glances at him and raises a brow in question.

"This could probably wait but I need to know, has anyone from S.H.I.E.L.D. contacted you?"

The urgency in Cap's voice is startling him but he reserves panic for later.

"No, why?"

"Okay, good. I can work with that; this gives us time." Though Steve meant to have a conversation, he's largely talking to himself at this point and has the decency to look ashamed when he sees Tony looking at him strangely.

"I'm a little lost here, Cap. Are you in trouble?" Tony asks.

"I think it'll be easier to explain once we're settled down but, in a sense, yes. I am in trouble." He keeps his voice low so that the others don't hear.

"So, you're telling me that goody two shoes Captain America got in _trouble_?" Tony's voice sounds like he's about to laugh and when he sees the childish smile on his face, Steve inwardly groans. "What on Earth did you do?!"

"It's not like that, Tony. _I _didn't do _anything_," he stresses, subtly tilting his head behind him so that the other man takes the hint. Lucky for him, Tony picks up on it and steals a quick look behind him at the two new guests. Sam, who's talking to Natasha doesn't notice him looking but he catches Nukoni's gaze. Apparently, she had already been staring at him but quickly looks away when their eyes meet. He looks at Steve questioningly who nods his head in confirmation.

They reach the conference room door, and Tony steps aside to let everyone else in first. Steve opts to do the same, the two of them standing on either side, opposite to each other. Natasha's the last one to enter and she pauses slightly to regard the two men, but Steve assures her everything's fine.

"I just need a minute with Tony."

She nods and glances at Tony, offering a friendly smile before disappearing inside. When the two are alone, Tony is the first to speak.

"Look, I have _a lot _of questions and I know most of them will probably be answered soon, but you're kinda worrying me here, Cap. Are we in danger?"

Steve sighs deeply and runs a hand through his hair.

"Possibly. And before we get in there and unravel the world's secrets, I need to ask you; do you trust me?"

Of all the things Tony imagined being said, he wasn't expecting to have his loyalties tested. But when he looks closely at the Captain, at the exhaustion and stress embedded in the curves of his face, the genius realizes this thing must be bigger than all of them combined.

He looks the Captain in the eyes for a moment, both of their gazes unwavering, when Tony answers.

"I do."

The Captain visibly relaxes, his shoulder sagging in relief, almost as though he was worried that Tony would turn him away.

"Okay then," he says, "Let's get started."


	7. What's the Sitch?

**A/N:** **Agh, been so busy with work I haven't had time! Also I started *another* WIP so there's that. But here's chapter 7! I can now confidently say the story is getting somewhere.**

* * *

_The Captain visibly relaxes, his shoulder sagging in relief, almost as though he was worried that Tony would turn him away. _

"_Okay then," he says, "Let's get started."_

* * *

If Nukoni thought she was feeling nervous before, then it was nothing compared to what she's feeling now. Her heart beats rhythmically in her chest, blood pumping through her body so fast that her hands begin to tingle and her feet feel like lead. The familiar sensation of queasiness pools in her belly as her mouth prepares to regurgitate the tea she had from lunch.

Luckily, the conference room they had been herded into is extremely large, allowing her to create distance between herself and the others. Careful not to seem suspiciously hurried, Nukoni crosses the threshold of the room, keeping her footsteps light and casual.

A large window with a beautiful view of the city lines the opposite side of the conference room, distracting her momentarily from her internal panic. Slowing to a stop, Nukoni places her hands on the window, peering as far down as possible at the twinkling buildings stacked next to each other as little toy-sized cars zoom in between them. It's breathtaking in a strange way. Something seemingly so mundane for others is fascinating to her, having been sheltered from this kind of normalcy and routine that everyone else is accustomed to.

_There's so much about this world I don't even know. _

She's brought out of her musing at the sound of the conference doors closing, turning around to see everyone else has taken a seat, except for Steve and Tony. None of them have noticed her standing on the far side of the table which relieves her greatly. She's hoping that means no one had noticed her internal meltdown either, though, after _that _conversation with Natasha, she wouldn't be surprised if the other woman had noticed.

Apparently, Widow has taken it upon herself to keep a close eye on her. It's not a problem though, she can handle it.

Maybe.

At the risk of causing a scene, Nukoni doesn't waste more time and moves quickly to rejoin the group. Taking a seat next to Sam, she feels a set of eyes boring into the side of her face and turns to see Natasha staring intensely at her, but she doesn't react, unwilling to be rattled so easily. Fortunately, further awkwardness is spared when Steve calls for everyone's attention.

Steve stands authoritatively at the front of the room, looking every bit of the leader he's supposed to be. Meanwhile, Tony has taken to leaning casually over one of the chairs, fingers laced atop the backrest and eyes wide in curiosity.

The nervousness from earlier returns when she absorbs the gravity of what is happening. Nukoni wonders what his reaction will be and hopes to anyone listening out there that he's ignorant of her true identity. She would hate for the chance at freedom to slip out of her grasp just because someone _recognized _her, which would be tragically ironic since no one's _supposed_ to_. _

When everyone is settled in their seats, Tony lets himself take a good look at the group. On one side, he's got Natasha sitting with her arms crossed and looking rather watchful, more specifically of the new girl. He thinks nothing of it because she _is _a spy after all, it's second nature for her to be suspicious of people but he _does _think it's strange she's not even trying to hide it.

Moving on to the other side of the table, there's the new guy, Sam Wilson. Tony genuinely doesn't have any impressions of him because he there's not much to know, but he trusts in Steve's judgment and if he deems him safe enough to bring to the Tower, then his personal background checks can wait.

Really, the only person Tony is interested in doing a background check on is the mystery girl, Nukoni. He can't shake the feeling that he knows her, but he also can't put his finger on from _where. _There's a familiarity to her, not just in the sense that she has a recognizable face but that they've been acquainted before.

But Tony really, _really,_ hopes it's not a 'we-went-on-one-date-and-I-never-called-back' type of situation.

Stowing away the thought for later, Tony leans lightly over one of the conference chairs and turns to Steve.

"So, you said something about trouble?"

Steve, never one to waste time, starts telling the story from right at the beginning, when he fought off the STRIKE team in the elevator. It quickly becomes obvious to Tony that he isn't going to like what he's going to hear, that Steve is about to throw something really big at his feet, and he's proven right when the story shifts to how Nukoni and Steve met and ends with "shield is defective and we're in danger". He also recalls something about a falcon suit for Sam but Tony doesn't get a chance to ask about it before the captain had already moved on.

When Steve is finished talking, Tony takes a moment to process the crap load of conspiratorial boulders that had been dropped on his head. Head hanging low, he runs a frazzled hand through already mussed hair and idly scratches the back of his neck as he thinks of what to say.

The others regard him in curiosity as they eagerly wait for his opinion. The theatrical side of him is basking in the suspense he's creating but also figures that Steve won't appreciate that kind of prank at this moment.

When he's finally ready to talk, Tony sighs loudly and straightens his posture.

"I feel like this is an elaborate prank and if it turns out to be anything like what _Natalia_ did to me, then I'm forever moving to the woods where no one will find me for the next thousand years."

"You won't live to a thousand, Tony, and no one will miss you for at most 2 of those."

The smirk on Natasha's face is entirely too comfortable, which is the only reason he even knows she's joking. She can be extremely convincing of anything and it's always a challenge to know when she's being playful.

Putting a hand on his heart in mock outrage, Tony turns to Steve.

"You need to put her in her place."

Steve doesn't join in on the humour and keeps his expression neutral. Tony recognizes this to be his way of keeping things on track, it's never been Cap's style to entertain banter though Tony suspects he enjoys it.

Nobody can be that boring. Right?

"It's not a prank, Tony. This is real and frankly, dangerous. Aside from Nukoni's intel, I don't know how big of a threat HYDRA actually is, but I assume it's not small given their takeover of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Turning to look at Nukoni, Steve seems to pass the conversation over to her and Tony can't help but notice the hesitance with which she speaks.

"Uh, if you're asking whether you should be worried, then yes. I suppose now's a good time as any to tell you that HYDRA's not as big as S.H.I.E.l.D., it's _bigger_." She straightens a little in her seat and folds her arms on the table. "Not necessarily in man power but…they draw a lot of their strengths through other means."

Sam is the one to speak up this time.

"That's awfully vague. What other means do they have?"

"For starters, they've got this huge elaborate plan to wipe out the earth and replace it with clones."

A long silence ensues as the rest of the occupants stare at her with varying degrees of confusion.

"Please tell me you're being sarcastic," says Tony.

"Oh I wish. It sounds simplistic and, dare I say, a little dumb, but it's a lot more than that. The only thing stopping them from succeeding is, drumroll please, me."

Tony stares long and hard at the Nukoni, unsure as to what he should make of this new information. Things were already confusing as they were and now the he has to worry about bad sci-fi movie plots come to life?

Deciding to take a seat in the chair he was previously leaning on, Tony sighs deeply and leans forward towards Nukoni. His eyes never leave hers and she doesn't back down from it either, the apparent nervousness from earlier gone.

"So what you're telling me is that, HYDRA, a terrorist organization that perished _long_ ago, has secretly been been alive all this time and operating within S.H.I.E.L.D. undetected for _several _years, and that _you,_" he pauses, "are a secret HYDRA project that is somehow the key for their master plan to take over the world?"

The other woman doesn't say anything for a long minute and when she speaks, she only offers one word:

"Yes."

"Oh come on," Tony exclaims, and rises from his seat to pace the floor. When he turns to address her again, his voice no longer carries any of the light-hearted banter or curiosity from earlier, instead laced with heavy suspicion. "I gave you a chance to tell me the truth because Steve here thinks you're worth trusting, but might I point out we only have _your word_ to go on. Give me one good reason as to why we should help you."

At some point during his rant, Tony had moved close to Nukoni and is standing next to her chair opposite to Sam, leaning aggressively over her shoulder. To her credit, Nukoni doesn't react with any hostility of her own, but she's leans away slightly, ready to bolt if need arises.

Frantically thinking of a response, she's cut off by Natasha on the other side of the table, now also leaning forward ominously with her arms folded.

"I'm only going to say this once but _thank you_, Tony, for being the voice of reason. What kind of hypnotic, brainwashing influence did you use to convince Captain America that you're telling the truth? Because you haven't convinced me and as Tony so helpfully pointed out, we only have your word to go on."

Nukoni sees Steve shift awkwardly in her periphery, likely thinking about the same thing as she is: the Focus.

With not many options open to her, she raises a slow and deliberate hand to her ear, pausing to the assure the other she's not reaching for a weapon. When Natasha doesn't react threateningly, her hand disappears behind of strand of black hair to slowly reveal the Focus. Everyone's eyes are quick to zero in on the small device, except for Steve who has a careful hand in pocket.

She was so busy paying attention to the others and is completely unprepared for the hand that reaches for the Focus. Her hand jerks away quickly and Tony steps back as if burned. The look on his face is slightly apologetic though he offers nothing of the sort. Instead, he raises a brow questioningly, minutely inching the hand that was reaching for the device forward again. Nukoni looks between him and the device for a moment, debating whether she should hand it over.

Eventually, she hands it over to Tony's outstretched hand, placing it gently in the centre of his palm. Thankfully, he grabs it with care and holds it lightly between his thumb and forefinger.

"What is it?" he asks softly.

Ignoring the look Steve is throwing her way, she grabs Tony's hand and directs the Focus towards his ear, placing it right above it on his temple.

"It's called a Focus, a small but powerful device. Reads all kinds of data around you and translates it into something you can use. Especially useful in battle."

It's clear to her that Tony is only half listening because his eyes are roaming the room erratically, likely trying take in every line and piece of data she knows the Focus is showing him. His eyes are wide in awe, immersed in the world being shown to him.

The others are watching the genius keenly, curious to know what's happening. When Nukoni looks around at the others, she sees Natasha staring at her again but this time, she looks more suspicious than before, if it was even possible.

Sighing internally, Nukoni feels tired of this feud already. It hasn't been long since they met and Natasha had made her feelings pretty clear to her since the beginning (even before their conversation in the bathroom). Part of her wants to put it all behind them, ready to move forward as a cohesive team.

When this whole thing first started, Nukoni wasn't interested in trust and friendships, it's not what she was after, and while it's still largely unimportant, the need to belong to a group is getting stronger. Something about having allies is comforting, even if it is slow to manifest.

Meetings Natasha's gaze, she offers the other woman a tentative smile.

"I know what you're thinking. For all our differences, I'm not stupid enough to believe you to be so naive," Nukoni says, "I withheld the Focus from you earlier because…well, we didn't get off to a very good start."

"That's putting it lightly. You almost slit my throat."

"Right." She shrugs uncomfortably at the memory while simultaneously cringing at her judgement. "But I'm not taking full blame for that, you also sneaked in through a _window_, what did you want me to do? Hug you?"

"While you were busy breaking and entering, _I _was being helpful." Natasha's voice takes on a hard edge as she stares down the woman opposite to her. "And you kept the Focus a secret from us this whole time! It's not exactly good reason to trust you!"

"Actually, I knew about it." Steve steps forward and pulls out an identical device from his pocket and holds it up for Natasha and Sam to see. Expressions of hurt and shock flash over both of their faces but Natasha's is more hurt than shocked.

"You never mentioned that to me."

"Because I asked him not to," Nukoni cuts in. Natasha ignores her though she hears her loud and clear.

"So first you take her word over, well, nothing, and now you're keeping secrets from your allies over _her_ say-so?!"

Steve walks forward quickly and sits down in the chair next to Natasha.

"It's not like that, Nat. When Nukoni first approached me and handed me this device, I didn't know what to make of it. I was skeptical at first, but then she showed what it can do and well, it's just something you have to see for yourself."

Pushing the Focus in her direction, Natasha reluctantly grabs it from him and turns to Nukoni. She points to her temple, gesturing on where to place the small device. Once it's planted above her ear, Natasha's suddenly on high alert, frantically looking around in alarm in much the same way Tony did.

When she turns back to Steve, he's looking at her with a knowing smile.

"I had to ask myself, why would she give me her most valuable tool if not to give me a reason to believe her?" he says.

The two of them continue to stare at each other as Natasha mulls over his words. Her sights shift towards Nukoni who's passing over the Focus from Tony over to Sam. She watches Sam as he puts it on, experiencing the same wonders how she and Tony did.

"Fine. I believe you," she says, turning to face the captain once more. "But no more secrets, okay? We're on the same side."

"Right, no more secrets."

The conversation shifts towards Tony who's pulling out a device of his own. When he notices everyone else's attention on him, the genius grabs his small handheld device and with a flick of his wrist, projects a holographic image of the Focus to hover above the table.

A closer look at the projection reveals an anatomical breakdown of the device, with many areas of the image covered in blocks of red.

Nukoni stares at the man in shock, impressed at the efficiency while simultaneously nervous about how he managed to do this. She doesn't say anything, choosing to focus (hah) on the projection of the Focus, internally grateful that even Tony Stark's technology wasn't able to dissect it accurately. The last thing she needs are duplicates of this device being poorly manufactured. She's got enough problems as it is without having to add copyright infringement to the list.

They all gather around the table as Tony thoughtfully analyzes the diagram.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., run a complete scan and tell me what we're missing."

The only ones to jump at the sound of the A.I.s voice are Sam and Nukoni, not having heard it before, unlike Natasha and Steve. Tony loves it when people hear J.A.R.V.I.S. for the first time and seeing the look of confusion on their faces. His A.I. is his proudest creation to date and will never get tired of seeing people in awe of it.

"Of course, sir. It's much more efficient to ask me than the woman next to you," he responds.

Tony playfully rolls his eyes and looks at Nukoni in amusement as she stares at the ceiling.

"He's a complex A.I., first of it's kind capable of sass," he explains, "there's no one like him on the market. Until now, that is."

"Excuse me?"

"This device, the Focus, it's scarily sophisticated and it shouldn't be if it comes from HYDRA. S.H.I.E.L.D. _might _be able to pull off something as complicated and multidimensional as this, but they're a long way away from getting there." Tony stares at the image of the Focus with genuine interest, watching the status bar as J.A.R.V.I.S. completes the scan. "But HYDRA? No way, and I'm curious to know where they got their hands on a device as brilliant as the Focus because it sure as hell wasn't their own genius."

The others look pensive at this, carefully considering his theory. Sam removes the device from his ear and twirls it in his fingers thoughtfully.

"I don't know a lot about S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA, but this _does _seem kind of alien," offers Sam.

Everyone looks at Nukoni, waiting on her to give some kind of explanation but she remains silent. Not making eye contact with anyone, she grabs the device from Sam and places it back above her ear, continuing to look directly at the image of her Focus as J.A.R.V.I.S. comes up empty with his scan.

"I am unable to fill in the missing data, sir. There are currently no other existing referential data drives to draw from, and much of the device potentially originates from materials not available on Earth."

"What are you saying, J.?"

"That Mr. Wilson may be correct in assuming the device's origins are, in fact, alien."

Everyone's gaze intensifies when they hear this, continuing to regard Nukoni with more suspicion than before. She nervously looks up and locks eyes with Steve, the least suspicious looking person in the room, though that might be because he's just not able to look more suspicious. Chancing a glance at the others, Nukoni turns to Tony who actually seems more amused than suspicious.

"Okay, so hear me out," she finally says. "Consider for a moment that you both are right, that this _is _too sophisticated to be HYDRA's creation and that there are some _other_ forces involved. I would love to spill the beans, but the truth is, I don't exactly know _how _the Focus was created though I might have a slight theoretical understanding." Pausing to gauge their reactions, Nukoni continues when no one speaks, "All I can confirm is that you're both right, so congrats," she lamely finishes.

"That's not helpful in the slightest," adds Sam.

"I agree," Tony says as he dismisses the projection from the air. "I thought we said no more secrets?"

"That's a lot to ask of someone who was _literally_ a secret weapon for a defective, terrorist organization. My secrets have secrets and you're not getting all of them today."

"Of course we're not," Natasha mutters.

"Besides," Nukoni continues, "We've got a bigger problem."

Steve's eyes widen when he remembers that they're still fugitives.

"Right, we're being followed and we need to hurry," he adds.

"No. That's not it. Well, not all of it, we're missing one more thing," Nukoni reaches over Sam and grabs the folder from his satchel hanging by the chair. She hears him protest lightly but stops when he sees what she's after. Pulling the manila folder out from the bag, she tosses it to Tony across the table.

"We need to get our hands on the Falcon suit."


End file.
